This application claims the priority of the European patent application No. 99 107 807.2, which has been filed on Apr. 20, 1999, of which the entire disclosure shall be considered included herein by reference.
1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a listening assistance device according to claim 1, a method of providing such a device and a spectacle frame temple for practicing the method.
2. Prior Art
Hearing aids in combination with spectacles and to be carried in the ear are known, whereby these hearing aids are made to suit the ear to be equipped with same in a classical manner in that the shape of the part projecting into the ear is made to conform to the auditory passage and to close the auditory passage acoustically off, and in that the properties of the sound amplification of the hearing aid (acoustic amplification, frequency characteristic, dynamics) are adapted to the loss of hearing of the user of the hearing aid. The causes, as well known, a time consuming and costly expenditure of work of an ear physician and/or the hearing aid acoustics specialist with the person having an impaired hearing.
Also known are, furthermore, conventional headphones in combination with spectacles, for instance by the EP-A-0 579 238.
By many persons, however, a slightly growing deficiency of hearing as a symptom of age after about 40 years and older occurs which is not in need of an examination by a ear physician or a use of a classical hearing aid. This deficiency of hearing is specifically notable during a conversation by a reduced understanding of the spoken words. It is, therefore, desirable to bring about an improvement of the hearing capability of these persons having a slightly impaired hearing capability in a simple and low cost manner, whereby the appearance of the person should not be changed in such a manner that the person is recognized as carrying a hearing aid and is judged as having a impaired hearing.
Thus, it is the object of the invention to provide a simple and low cost listening assistance device which can be carried without any problems and inconspicuous and counteracts specifically the reduced understanding of spoken matter.
This object is met by the features of claim 1.
Because a hearing module is foreseen in combination with spectacles in such a manner that this hearing module forms the support of the spectacles in the ear an inconspicuous appearance not reminding of hearing aids and also an easily placeable device is arrived at. Due to the part of the hearing module which projects into the auditory channel, which must not close same acoustically completely off and, therefore, must not be individually produced, a direct sound coupling into the ear and a sound coupling into the ear through the hearing module is arrived at together with a low cost production. Furthermore, the not complete closing off of the auditory channel leads to an excellent wearing comfort without a sensation of pressure.
The listening assistance device includes preferably angled spectacle frame temples which leads to a specifically good positioning of the spectacles, an excellent wearing comfort and an inconspicuous wearing.
It is, furthermore, preferred to have the hearing module mounted adjustable at the end of the temple; to this end, with an asymmetrical location of the projection relative to the longitudinal axis of the hearing module a rotation around its longitudinal axis is preferred. This allows an individual positioning of the sound exit of the hearing module to the auditory channel for a minimal acoustic retroaction and allows, furthermore, an especially simple mounting of the hearing module onto the temple by means of a ring for wed thereat.
The invention has, furthermore, the object of a as simple as possible provision of a listening assistance device. This object is met by the method according to claim 11. Furthermore, a temple portion for its practicing shall be provided. This is characterized by the features of claim 12.